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STOP AND CHECK IT!!!
I was behind this dump truck full of old tires. The load had one of those awning-style covers over it, the kind that swing out from the front of the truck to the back on big metal arms to cover the load with material, but roll up real neat behind the cab when not in use. They're *supposed* to help keep things from flying out of the back.
The bar at the end of this cover, though, was bouncing up and down, thumping the pile of tires. This was causing one of the tires to actually bounce OFF the pile every two seconds or so. I got in the passing lane and flagged down the driver, just as a pickup truck decided to start tailgating the dump truck. I tried to communicate to the driver that his load was about to fall off, got a thumbs up from him, and pulled ahead to watch what would happen.
The driver slowed down for about a mile, then returned to highway speeds with the other truck still behind him. Anyone want to guess what happened next?
Yup. The tire bounced out of the dump truck. I don't think it actually hit the tailgater, since he swerved out from behind the dump truck, honking his horn and speeding past it. I did see the tire bouncing down the road, though, finally coming to a stop on the side of the road. The driver must have seen that, as a moment later the dump truck finally pulled over and stopped.
The real kicker: The name on the side of the dump truck identified it as the state police convict road clearing service, and the driver was wearing a police uniform.
I was behind this dump truck full of old tires. The load had one of those awning-style covers over it, the kind that swing out from the front of the truck to the back on big metal arms to cover the load with material, but roll up real neat behind the cab when not in use. They're *supposed* to help keep things from flying out of the back.
The bar at the end of this cover, though, was bouncing up and down, thumping the pile of tires. This was causing one of the tires to actually bounce OFF the pile every two seconds or so. I got in the passing lane and flagged down the driver, just as a pickup truck decided to start tailgating the dump truck. I tried to communicate to the driver that his load was about to fall off, got a thumbs up from him, and pulled ahead to watch what would happen.
The driver slowed down for about a mile, then returned to highway speeds with the other truck still behind him. Anyone want to guess what happened next?
Yup. The tire bounced out of the dump truck. I don't think it actually hit the tailgater, since he swerved out from behind the dump truck, honking his horn and speeding past it. I did see the tire bouncing down the road, though, finally coming to a stop on the side of the road. The driver must have seen that, as a moment later the dump truck finally pulled over and stopped.
The real kicker: The name on the side of the dump truck identified it as the state police convict road clearing service, and the driver was wearing a police uniform.
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